aitai
by pengiechan
Summary: Pascal says she wants to see him, but such a simple request must have further meaning. No matter what happens, she will never be alone again. HubertxPascal, oneshot.


**author's note: **It's a bit crazy to me that I am writing this note. First of all, my husband is the one who got me into Tales of Graces: he insisted on only playing the game while I watched, so I got to observe the entire story from start to finish without ever picking up the controller. Second, I (wince) started out as a MalikxPascal shipper, and (wincewince) _loathed_ the idea of HubertxPascal. ... until Lineage and Legacies. And then I was ruined for good.

... (cough) Anyway, here I am! This is my first foray into Tales fic, and gosh is it a doozy. Apologies for the length, but I got this idea, and then I got this other idea, and then I noticed that OMG THERE ARE LIKE NO HUPASU FICS HERE, and so here we are. Warnings for spoilers, mush, Fourier being cranky (ILU FOURIER), and Hubert probably messing with his damn glasses too much, although that's kind of in line with all the skits, isn't it? (PUT YOUR HAND DOWN, HUBIE. _DOWN_. THANK YOU.)

Title means, roughly, "I want to see you" and is sort-of-kind-of a reference to the SCANDAL song of the same name.

Comments, constructive criticism, and gushing devotions of fangirlism are of course welcome. Thank you and enjoy!

* * *

_I want to see you._

The glowing characters that appeared on the face of the communicator in his hands, however simple, felt to Hubert Oswell like a blow directly to the heart. He read them once, open-mouthed, then twice, then a third time - squinting, adjusting his glasses, leaning closer to the screen - then a fourth, this time feeling the start of a rosy blush on his cheeks. This wasn't the kind of message he had expected from her, especially after their last communication had been some nonsense about bananas. So why -

He sat up straight in his chair, his back rigid, dropping the communicator abruptly in a pile of documents on his desk. He watched the bird-like orb that had delivered the message flutter slowly down to rest atop the screen before it vanished, having been absorbed by the unit. It had to be a trick, he thought. Surely it was a farce, a message sent by someone attempting to meddle in their affairs - Captain Malik, most certainly, or perhaps even Cheria. She would have never dared to send such a simple message - and such a straightforward one, at that. She most often rambled on for paragraphs at a time before arriving at her point. And why would she have any desire whatsoever to see him? The last three months had passed without her even once acknowledging the confession he had made of his feelings. She had dutifully taken up calling him "Hu" instead of the diminuitive "Little Bro," and a few of their exchanges had hinted at the possibility that they would meet again soon, but even so...

He narrowed his blue eyes at the device in front of him, folding his hands together. No, Pascal wouldn't have dared to send him such a message. That was all there was to it. It was best to ignore whosever meddling attempt this was to drive him halfway to madness - again - and go back to work. He was very busy. Even if Pascal did want to see him, for whatever reason, there was almost no way he would be allowed the time to travel to the Amarcian Enclave. No, there was simply no way that she could see him right then. None at all.

He unfolded his hands and shoved the communication device to the side, raising one finger to adjust the glasses that had slid halfway down his nose. His gaze settled on the open window in his office - the window through which the chubby little bird had lazily floated in only moments before - and he listened to the sound of chirping birds and stirring wind. It was the start of summer in Yu Liberte, and the city that had sprang up out of a desert oasis was even hotter than normal. He'd heard rumors of an Amarcian project that sought to provide homes with a constant source of cold air in the summer, no doubt led by Pascal herself, and in the midst of the midday heat he longed for any source of relief. He wondered if the Amarcian Enclave, which had been temperate in the midst of the mountains, was cold -

"No," he said aloud, commanding the thoughts in his mind to cease. "I am not going there."

_But_, a small voice whispered, his heart starting yet another argument with his stubborn mind, _what if something is wrong? What if she really **does** need to see you?_

"Then she should have said so," he muttered; then, realizing that he was now talking to himself, slid the communicator even further away, picking up his pen and the document he had been reviewing. He just did not have any time to see her. He had military plans to consider, had a large contract for a military alliance with Windor to review before it reached the president's desk. He was far too absorbed in his work to rush off to see her on a whim. Even if she had called him directly...

His pen hovered over the paper in front of him, and he sat, unmoving, for a moment. What if she _had_ called him directly, and for a specific purpose? If the message was real - if she was, perhaps, finally returning his affections -

"Damn it," he swore under his breath, and rose from his chair, reaching for the jacket to his uniform and plucking the communication device from its resting place upon a bulging folder. "Fine," he said aloud, angrily, "but if this is a trick, I am coming right back."

* * *

Less than two days later, thanks to a few shortcuts he had recalled from prior weeks of travel across the continent, Hubert stood outside of the door that led to Pascal's small home with a perturbed expression on his face. On the eve of his first night of travel, he had sent out a message to her via the communicator -_ I will be there shortly_ - and had watched the glowing little chick flutter off into the starry sky before lying down alone in the middle of the desert for a restless night of sleep. He'd continued to doubt himself for the first few hours, but his dreams had been full of the possibilities he hadn't wanted to acknowledge - that she was being attacked, that she was in trouble, that she was upset and alone. He'd set out again the next morning with vigor, determined to reach her quickly. His only comfort had been that he had sent the return message...

... the message that sat fluttering on the step by Pascal's front door, unreceived. The blue-haired man scoffed, bending to lift the glowing orb into one hand. "That's just like her," he remarked aloud, annoyed. "Forgetting to open a window." Although the little chick's presence here meant that the receiver was likely inside, he wondered if she wasn't home... or worse. This only strengthened his resolve to learn the truth about what was happening.

He lifted his free hand and knocked twice, taking a step back from the door. For a moment, as he listened, he heard nothing at all from inside; he debated turning away to attempt Fourier's door instead, querying after the whereabouts of her younger sister, but it was then that he heard a loud crash and the shriek of a familiar voice. "Ow!" someone shouted, inside. "Owwww - "

Hubert could not wait any longer. He stepped forward and threw open the door, taking care not to drop the communicator beacon as he made his way inside. "Pascal!" he called, his voice strained. "Where are you? Are you hurt? Are you - " He lowered his eyes to the floor and saw a pile of books with a slender arm emerging from beneath. "... Pascal," he groaned, feeling a mix of relief - and an even stronger annoyance than before. "You really _must_ learn to be more careful."

"Hu?" A shock of red and white hair poked up from beneath the pile, followed by the rest of the Amarcian woman. Pascal shook off the various large books with some difficulty before rising to her feet, staring up at the blue-haired man with something in her wide amber eyes that resembled disbelief. "Why are _you_ here?"

"Because..." He reached behind him to shut the door with one hand, coming the whole way into the room. The glowing chick in his other hand suddenly lifted, floating lazily over to the communicator that rested on the floor at the foot of the bed in one corner. Her room was messy, as usual, and she was the tornado at the center of its destruction. "I received a message saying that you wanted to see me. However, I suspected that it could have been a fake, or intercepted by... someone else, so I was not sure that I should come - "

"Oh wow, you actually got it?" She beamed up at the chick-shaped communicator as it fluttered over her head, stepping over the books piled up around her as she scurried to pluck the receiving device up off the floor. "I didn't think you'd make here so fast," she remarked, watching as the message was absorbed and displayed on the screen. "I'll be there... Neato, you're here at the same time! Did you run the whole way or something, to have beaten the little chickie here?"

"No, you forgot to open a window so the little "chickie" could - wait. You - " He sputtered, eyes widening. "You actually sent that message?"

"Duh, who _else_ would have sent it?" She seemed oblivious to his shocked expression as she turned the device over in her hands, as if to examine the body for defects. "It's only a two-way communicator, you know. Although, maybe... if I fiddled with this thingie, and added some more channels and a couple more receivers, I could make it - "

"Hold on," he interrupted her, rather impatiently, "you mean to say that you actually wanted to - to see me?"

"Well _yeah_," she answered, shrugging her shoulders - as if this was the obvious response, and he was the odd one for questioning it. "Is that a problem?"

His mouth fell open. "_Why_?"

"Why? 'cause I just_ wanted_ to! Sheesh! Knock it off with the twenty questions!" She rolled her eyes, tossing the communicator onto her unmade bed. "Help me pick this stuff up, will you?" she requested, walking forward and bending down in front of the jumbled pile of books. "I was in the middle of something, and I tripped over all this stuff when I tried to come get the door."

Hubert begrudgingly bent to help her, stacking the books up in neat piles that she pushed to the side of the room, beside a messy desk. "What is all this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Research material," she answered cheerfully, shoving the last stack aside. "I was looking into a way to channel some of the excess energy from a valkines cryas into a source of power for a water purification operation. But you have to make the water super duper hot to burn out all the icky stuff, and the pipes would have to be built a certain way so there wasn't any contamination, and _then_ you'd have to cool the water down before it could be distributed again. So I was trying to read up on everything that went into the idea to figure out if it was possible or not."

"I see." He straightened up, folding his arms together, watching as she stood and brushed dust from the front of her shirt and shorts. "And have you bathed, recently?"

"Just yesterday!" She smiled; then, abruptly, turned her eyes up to the ceiling. "Or... actually, maybe it was two days ago..."

"You are hopeless." He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "So," he began, watching her closely, "why is it that you called me here?"

"I already told you. I just felt like seeing you." Her smile widened, and she stepped closer to him, circling around him once, examining him as if he was an interesting specimen in a study she was conducting. "You've gotten taller, haven't you? I used to come up to about here on you..." She stood on her toes, lifting a hand to the bottom of his chin. "... but now I only come up to here!" She settled back down on the soles of her boots, the top of her head now level with his shoulders, making a "tsk"ing sound. "Who gave you permission to get so tall so fast?"

"Perhaps I have grown." He felt a twinge of irritation, lifting a hand to adjust his glasses. "However - Pascal. I did not come here just to exchange pleasantries with you. I came because I thought your message was urgent."

"Urgent?" She circled him a second time, and she felt him tug on the coat of his uniform. "You got some new clothes, too... Ah, why would you think something like that?"

"Because," he began, impatiently, "it isn't often that you send me such a simple message. Usually you go on for ages about one nonsensical topic or another. When I received your last communication, I assumed that something was wrong."

"Huh? No, not at all." She leaned over to peer up at him, blinking. "Did you come all the way here because you thought I was in trouble? That's sweet, Hu."

"Ergh - _Pascal_!" He frowned, whirling around to face her, his hands tightening into fists. "Do you know that I abandoned my post with only a moment's notice just to come here? I thought that someone had intercepted your communicator, or that you were in danger! Strahta's military is currently missing its lieutenant because I rushed here as quickly as I did!"

She drew back somewhat, lowering her eyes, biting down on her bottom lip for a moment. "I'm sorry, Hu," she murmured. "I guess I should have said a lot more, but..."

"Do you not understand how _busy_ I am?" He gritted his teeth. "I cannot just leave at a moment's notice because you decided you wanted to see me on some sort of whim! What if there were to be an emergency, or an attack? I would be held responsible for any casualties!"

"I - I'm really sorry..." She fidgeted. "I just thought you might want to hang out for a little while, you know? It's just not the same to talk over the communicator."

"I don't have the time to - to "hang out."" He scoffed, placing his hands against his hips. "I am very busy right now, Pascal. So if you called me here just to see me without any good reason, I am afraid I'll have to leave. I've already lost invaluable time thanks to this little visit, and now I'll have to explain to the president of Strahta why I left so abruptly."

"Okay, fine, then leave! Have fun with your paperwork or soldiers or whatever." She waved a hand before turned her back on him, crossing the room. "I'll be here if you ever feel like dropping by again."

"Fine." He spun on his heel, pushing his glasses up with one finger, the action so forceful that he felt the glass of one lens rake sharply across the side of his nose, stinging his skin. "Goodbye, Pascal."

He was halfway to the door that led out of her room before she responded, and when she did, he barely heard her speak; her tone was suddenly sorrowful, almost painful, and the words struck hard and piercing at his heart like an arrow. "See you later, Hu..."

At that remark he stopped where he stood, becoming still. What choice did he have? She had sounded sad, utterly miserable, in the space of that short phrase. He couldn't leave after hearing that. The very thought of her being sad - or even worse, being hurt by his words, his sections, by something he'd so casually said or done - pained him deeply. He couldn't leave until he knew why she'd uttered those words with such aching.

There was a soft creak behind him and he looked over one shoulder, watching as the Amarcian walked to her bed and sank down into the mattress, seemingly unaware that he had stopped. She looked at the communicator that lay beside her for a moment before tossing it aside, watching as it sailed over the end of her bed and landed on the floor with a noisy clatter. "I won't need that again, huh?" he heard her ask, her voice strained. "Guess not..."

"Pascal." He turned, alarmed. "What is _wrong_ with you?"

"I dunno." She covered her eyes with one hand, bending forward at the waist, and much to his amazement he heard her begin to sniffle - as if she was crying. It was then that the guilt struck Hubert, overtaking him like a wave, and he crossed the room quickly, moving back to where she sat on the bed. "I didn't want to make you mad, Hu," she started to say, hiccupping, "I just didn't want to be alone anymore - "

"Do not _say_ things like that! You aren't alone." He knelt in front of her on one knee, reaching for her free hand. He clasped it tightly between both of his, watching her rub at her eyes, a dull ache starting within his chest. "I am," he began, reluctantly, "... sorry. I did not mean to be so... harsh."

"You weren't harsh..." She sniffed. "You were a_ jerk_."

"That's probably a fair assessment." He bent his head, gently pressing her hand between his own. "But you aren't alone, Pascal. If something is bothering you, then - then I will stay. As long as you need me to." He lifted his eyes. "Is that what you would like to hear?"

Her other hand dropped into her lap, and he winced at the sight of tears rolling down her cheeks. "Mm..."

"Please... tell me what is bothering you."

"I..." Her gaze settled on where he touched her, and she forced a small smile, leaning forward. "I don't think anyone's ever held my hand like this..."

"Then I am glad to be the first." He nodded. "Tell me what is going on. It's obvious that something is bothering you."

She wiped her eyes with her forearm, giving one more sniff before speaking. "I'm not usually like this, but... I guess... the other night, I just started to feel really... lonely. I was thinking about traveling with everybody, and how much fun that was. And then I got the last message you sent, and I just... really wanted to see you, right then." She avoided his gaze, staring instead at where her hand remained clapsed in his. "I didn't think that you would just drop everything and come here like you did. I actually thought that you would just laugh at me, and that I would get over it in a couple days, you know? But I didn't feel any better, and then..."

"Do you feel lonely often?"

"Yeah..." She bowed her head. "I mean, I've got Fourier and Poisson to keep me company sometimes, but everybody's so busy. I don't wanna be a bother to them. And since Captain's off doing his own thing now, in Fendel... some days I just don't have anybody to talk to. It's nice when I'm focusing on my work and don't have anybody to distract me, but..." Her voice grew weak. "Sometimes it just makes me really sad."

"I... I understand what you mean." He paused for a moment, thinking, and then stood. He released her hand before moving to sit beside her, taking care to keep a safe distance between them. "I haven't seen my brother since we all parted ways," he remarked, sinking into the bed as he sat down. "He's written me a letter - almost illegible, really, but it did at least make the remark that he and Cheria will be marrying." He chuckled softly. "I suppose I should be happy for them. But the only people I see on a regular basis are my father and the president. They are, unfortunately, not entertaining company in the least."

"But you're important and stuff..."

"And you are not?" He lifted an eyebrow, turning his head to look down at her. She didn't lift her head to meet his gaze, but he continued speaking regardless, confidently. "You are perhaps the sole reason our group made it to the end of our journey. I would expect you of all people to understand how important you are."

"Meh..." She tapped her heels against the wooden frame of her bed, the action making a few soft thunks that echoed in her quiet room. "I just know how to do a lot of tinkering and fixing and junk. That doesn't make anybody want to hang out with me or anything. Fourier just spends all her time yelling at me..."

"Your sister is probably worried about you." He gestured to the stacks of items around the room, then the piles of documents and research on her desk. "After all, when I came in, you were trapped beneath a pile of books. If you stay here in your room all the time, you may eventually seriously hurt yourself, or go stir-crazy."

"Hrmmm..." She rubbed her eyes again, apparently still trying to rid them of tears. "What should I do?"

"Leave for a while. Go exploring. Find a new city in need, so that you may honor them with your presence." He folded his arms together. "After the many weeks we all spent traveling, perhaps you are not yet ready to stay in the same place for very long."

"Do you think that will help?"

He lifted his hands, palms up, in a shrug. "It may. But I fear that you may not know until you try it." He smiled slightly. "You may also find yourself getting into more trouble than you can handle, should you make the decision to go roaming about the world on your own..."

After a moment she returned his smile, and he could tell, somehow, that the action was genuine. "I'd probably need someone to come along and look after me, huh?"

"Probably." His gaze fell to the floor of her room. "Although... regrettably... I would be unavailable to do so."

"That's kinda what I thought..." With that remark, Pascal's room fell into silence for several minutes. The two of them sat side-by-side on her bed, not speaking, each apparently lost in their own thoughts. Hubert found himself re-thinking their previous conversation, his mind settling on one particular thing she had said -_ sometimes, it just makes me really sad_. He felt intermingled concern and guilt at this, wondering just how long she had been feeling this way. Why had he not come to see her sooner? Why had he not spent time with her in Fendel, instead of dropping her off there with Captain Malik? As lonely as he had felt on some nights, sitting up alone in his room in the Oswell manor, he simply wasn't able to imagine the depth of her loneliness; he hadn't realized that she had remained locked away in her room all day, without company -

"Hu?"

Her voice jolted him out of his thoughts, and he blinked, turning slightly to look down at her. "Yes?"

"Can I... ask you something...?"

"Anything."

"A while ago, when..." She paused, apparently attempting to choose the right words. As he watched, she began to fidget, wringing her hands together. "When you said... that you... thought about me a lot... did you really mean what you said? About your mind being... consumed, and stuff?"

He raised his head, slowly, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "I meant every word."

"Hmmm..." Her voice softened and she giggled. "That's pretty... weird."

"It may be weird, but it is the truth." His eyes fell back to his hands, and he gripped them together in his lap, tightly, frowning. "Whether or not you want to accept my feelings is another matter entirely. You should know that I won't waste my time begging for your attention." There was a tug within his chest, as if his heart was a puppet being jerked roughly by strings - and he could guess who played the role of puppetmaster. "If I really felt the need to do so, I could return to Strahta right now and accept Mr. Paradine's offer of his daughter's hand. Although I initially turned him down, she is still unwed. He and my father would both be delighted, were I to accept, and she would make a suitable wife. And I am certain that she would bathe regularly - without being threatened."

"I guess you could do that, huh?" The bed creaked, and he sensed her shifting close to him, almost close enough to touch. Heat rose into his cheeks almost instantly, but he didn't move, staring down at his lap. "But wouldn't that be the opposite of what you wanted?"

"What?" He scoffed. "Are you saying I want a dirty wife?"

"What I'm saying is..." She paused. "Would you be happy, Hu?"

"... what?"

"If you got hitched to that girl... would you be happy?"

Her room was silent for a moment, neither of them speaking. It was a long time before Hubert was able to answer, and when he did, his voice was soft, unstable, a surprise even to him. "No," he said, finally, slowly, swallowing down the wave of nervousness that rose automatically as a lump in his throat. "I would not be happy. In fact, I am sure that I would be quite miserable. Even if she were to be a suitable wife, I would not... love her, in the way that I should."

"So don't be miserable, then." He felt something warm lean against his side, and it took him a moment to realize that it was Pascal, curled up beside him, her head falling to rest snugly against his shoulder. "Just stay here. Then you won't have to marry anybody. Right?"

"P - Pa - " He stuttered, his face burning. "_Pascal_ - "

"Seems pretty easy to me." She sighed, her breath tickling his cheek. "I dunno why you didn't just do that in the first place."

"B - Because..." He struggled to compose himself; after a moment of indecisiveness, he lifted an arm to stretch around her back, supporting her as she leaned against him. She snuggled closer in response, and he swallowed hard, taken completely aback by the feeling of her sitting so close to him. "Pascal," he said, finally, "I cannot simply stay here. I have a duty to the Strahtan military, and the government. It's not something I can leave without notice."

"Hmm..." She sounded thoughtful. "Then why don't you take me with you?"

"Take you - " His mouth fell open. "You would leave here - your home - ?"

"Well, yeah, why not? It's not like I can't come visit sometimes. And Fourier has been nagging me about getting out of my room and finding something else to do. The other day she yelled at me for spending too long tinkering with my Mecha Asbel." She huffed, crossing her arms as she nodded in the direction of a large item that stood in one corner of the room, covered by a sheet. "My big sister's such a grump. I bet things would be a whole lot better if I went somewhere way far away from her again."

"But if you came with me..." He turned, looking down into her eyes, trying to read her expression. She returned his gaze blankly, offering no hints, no clues, and he struggled to transform the thoughts flying through his head into tangible speech. "Wouldn't you be... bored?"

"Bored? Are you _kidding_ me?" She shook her head. "There's_ lots_ I could do in Strahta! I just finished putting the cold air system in a couple places in Windor, and I know you guys out there in the desert could totally benefit from that one. Plus there's a_ ton_ of research I want to do on Duplemar so I can figure out why the valkines zapped all the life out of the area around it. And - "

"I understand what you are getting at. However..." He shifted on the bed, making a delicate attempt to separate them, but Pascal immediately made a face at him, scooting closer. He sighed as she again lay her head on his shoulder, unsure whether to be nervous or happy by her insistance that they stay connected. It was unlike her to be clingy like this, but... "However," he tried again, his voice softening, "there is no guarantee that the president would allow you to do such work in our cities. On top of that, I am not sure where you would stay. My father certainly would not allow an uninvited houseguest to suddenly take up residence in the manor."

"Aww, really? You couldn't sweet talk him into letting me rent out a room?"

"I could try, but I have my doubts." He placed his arm around her back again, ignoring the growing urge to pull her even closer. "My fear is that you would end up homeless and unwanted ... like a true stray cat."

"That'd be okay, though. 'cause I know you'd take care of me." He could practically hear her smile. "As long as I can be around you, Hu, nothing else matters. Y'know?"

"N - nothing else..." The Amarcian's words caught him off guard, and he felt his heart begin to throb faster behind his ribcage, a hot blush seizing his face. He leaned forward, trying to look down into her eyes, and when she caught his gaze he could see that her cheeks were an uncharacteristic shade of pink. "Pascal..." he murmured, as his heart smacked into the front of his chest, "what is this about? You've... not been acting like yourself..."

"Well..." She shifted on the bed, turning to face him. "I was just really hoping that you'd want to see me again, and now that you're here... it kinda seems like I should tell you..."

"Tell me...?"

"I've been thinking... and... I guess when it comes right down to it, I'm pretty fond of you, Hu." She gave him a sheepish grin, lifting one hand to smooth her unruly hair. "I don't know a whole lot about romance and all that other mushy junk, but... I really did want to see you. It wasn't like how I wanted to see Asbel, or Captain, or Sophie - although I would loooove to see Sophie again, you know? It was... different." The blush on her cheeks had begun to spread, darkening as it covered the bridge of her nose. "It was really weird. Every time I thought about you, I started to feel kind of fuzzy and warm. At first I thought I had a fever or something, but then I thought about it a whole lot more, and _then_ Fourier was talking to me about it, and then I realized that I'm..."

"You're..." He leaned forward, breathless, anticipating her next words. "What?"

"Umm..." She blinked. "Actually? I kinda... forget."

Hubert fell off the bed. He landed on the floor with a thunk and a groan, sprawling out on his back, reaching up to touch his suddenly aching forehead. "Pascal," he began, exasperated, "you cannot start to tell me that you have feelings for me, and then_ forget_ - "

"Hey, give me a break!" She tumbled to the floor beside him, landing clumsily, one of her knees colliding with his stomach. The wind was knocked out of him and he gasped for air, shooting her an appropriately annoyed look. "Sorry," she apologized, although her tone made it clear that she didn't mean it. "That totally wasn't on purpose..."

He snorted. "_Please_ watch what you are doing."

"Hrmmm... look," she started again, kneeling beside him with her hands folded in her lap, "it's really hard for me to think about stuff like this, alright? Every time I do, my brain gets wobbly and achey, and I can't concentrate. So sometimes I just try to... forget." Her gaze softened. "But it's never really permanent, 'cause usually I'll think about you and it'll start to come back, so..."

"Then..." He propped up his upper body on his elbows, raising an eyebrow. "If you try to remember..."

"Hmm..." She closed her eyes, a thoughtful expression on her face. "If I try to remember, maybe - oh,_ right_!" Her amber eyes opened and she smiled at him, brightly, leaning forward. "_That's_ why I sent you that message! Because I realized that I'm totally - " She paused, abruptly, some of the enthusiasm dropping from her voice, the blush on her cheeks darkening again. "Because," she began again, quietly, "I'm probably pretty much completely and totally in love with you, Hu."

The confession had been unexpected, and it hit Hubert like a ton of bricks; his arms weakened beneath him and he fell back to the floor again, flattened, numb to the feeling of his head striking the hard surface. He stared at the ceiling with wide eyes, feeling - for one of the first times in his life - utterly unable to speak. Pascal leaned over to peer down at him, still blushing but apparently otherwise unaffected by her words, her eyes round and curious. He gaped at her for what felt like forever, open-mouthed, until finally the disbelief in his chest bubbled up into tangible speech: "How can you_ forget_ something like that?"

"What? That's all you have to say? Not "ohhhh, Pascaaaaal, I love you too, let's go live together foreeeeeever"?" She made a face. "I told you, it was really super distracting! And I've had a lot going on that I had to focus on, you know?" She lifted a hand to jab him in the nose with one finger. "And it's not like I understood what I was supposed to be feeling... until recently, anyway..."

"How can you not understand_ love_?" He deftly caught her wrist in one hand, wrapping his fingers tightly around it, his eyes fixing hard on her own. "Is it really possible for you to be so clueless? First you don't understand what I feel for you, then you don't even understand what _you_ feel for me."

"Hrmph." She stuck her tongue out at him. "How was I supposed to know what I was feeling? You're the first person who I wanted to say something like that to. It's totally confusing! I thought you hated me."

"I do _not_ hate you."

"Then how come you're always yelling at me and stuff?" She looked down at where he held her wrist. "If I'm that annoying, why would you ever even want to be with me?"

"Because - " He snapped, then quickly stopped himself, recognizing the lack of patience in his words; he paused and began again, swallowing, forcing kindness into his tone this time. It was easy for him to forget that he loved her - and so perhaps he could understand, somewhat, her reluctance to admit those feelings for him. "Because despite your sometimes childish nature and obsessive personality, you are unbelievably strong." He saw an expression of surprise appear on her face and pushed himself to continue, despite the uncomfortable way his heartbeat had quickened into an uneven sort of drumming. "Pascal. I meant every word I said. I dream of you, and I think of you constantly. I want nothing but your happiness." He released her wrist, realizing how tightly he had been holding it. "You may very well be the only person who truly understands me. I do not mean to be cruel. But it is sometimes... frightening... to think about how much I care for you."

"Why?"

"Because it has consumed me." He breathed out a sigh. "Even though I suspected that your message may not have been real, I still traveled here as quickly as I could. The only thing I wanted was to see you. It's as if I am a moth to your flame."

She smiled slightly, blushing again, her eyes shifting away. "That's kinda weird."

"I realize that."

"But it's also kinda... sweet..." After a moment of silence she bent over him, lifting a hand to gently touch one of his cheeks as she placed a tiny kiss on the bridge of his nose. His face burned instantly and he stared up at her, open-mouthed, his body rendered immobile by her touch. "I think that's why I ended up thinking about you so much," she said, drawing back. "Every time you sent me a message, even if you started out being mad at me... it always turned out to be something really nice, in the end. And when we were traveling together, you were always looking out for me, even if it meant you might get hurt. I guess I didn't realize just how much you actually cared about me. And I... I care about you, too."

He swallowed, hard. "Pascal..."

She smiled again, patting his cheek. "What is it, Hu?"

"Come here."

"E - eh?"

"Come here," he said again, and this time it was a demand; he reached up and grabbed her by one shoulder, pulling her down to the floor. She shrieked as she collapsed on top of him, their legs tangling together, then screeched as one of Hubert's arms slid tightly around her waist. Her embarrassment was unexpectedly amusing, and the blue-haired man held her on top of him for a moment, one corner of his mouth lifting up into a slight smile. "That's better," he remarked. "Now..."

"H - _Hu_ - "

"Will you be quiet for a moment, please?" He tugged on her shoulder, pulling her close so abruptly that her forehead collided with his. Before he could stop himself, he lifted his head, pressing his mouth tightly against hers. He kissed her hard at first, watching her eyes widen, but then found himself relaxing, savoring the feeling of her lips on his own. She seemed shocked, but after only a few seconds her eyes fluttered closed, and he heard her release a soft sound of enjoyment that sent a shiver up his spine. He lifted his hand to the back of her neck when they broke apart for air, gently guiding her back to him, and she immediately allowed him to begin a second kiss, one far more passionate than the first. This time he closed his eyes as well, simply allowing the moment to happen, living out the very thing that had consumed his waking thoughts and dreams for weeks. What felt like an eternity passed before he broke away, turning his head to one side, his cheeks burning as hot as a fire. "Well," he remarked, swallowing, opening his eyes, "that seems to have worked."

"Mm... that was kinda... nice..." Her eyes fluttered open, and she gave him a sleepy smile, tilting her head to one side. "You're a good kisser."

"Wha - whatever you say." He abruptly looked away, fighting to ignore the fire that had enveloped his entire body. "That is all I wanted. Will you get off of me now, please? You're surprisingly heavy, for such a small girl."

"Do I have to?" She giggled. "You're kinda comfy, you know... I thought you'd have a lot of sharp edges and points and be bony and stuff."

He gritted his teeth. "I am _not_ a body pillow, Pascal!"

"But I bet you'd be reeeeeeally comfy to sleep with..."

"Th - wha - nn - " He struggled to free himself, his face burning so intensely that it was almost painful. "Don't _say_ things like that!"

"Come onnnnn, Hu..." She clung to him, a smile still fixed on her mouth. "I don't want to let go of you yet..."

He made a noise of annoyance, still struggling. "Pascal - !"

"Nope!" Her eyes were bright and her expression mischevous, and she looped her arms around his neck, holding on tight as he attempted to pull himself up into a sitting position. "You put me here, and I'm not moving until I get what I want!"

"Then - " He sighed, exasperated. "What is it that you want?"

"You!" she exclaimed, and threw her weight against him, sending them both tumbling down to the floor again. She laughed and the sound was delightful, and although Hubert had just smacked his head against the hard floor of Pascal's room for the third time that day, he was too distracted to notice. At first he gaped at the woman clinging to him, at the way she continued to laugh... and then something buried deep within him, in a place he'd all but forgotten, swelled and bubbled up into his chest until it crept out of his mouth in the form of laughter - first soft, then louder, genuine and happy. There was something about the way she laughed that made him join in, forgetting everything else in the world. She beamed at him as their laughter died down, her amber eyes shining, and all at once Hubert was certain that he was falling in love with her again. "I forgot," she said, tilting her head to one side, "what it was like to laugh like that..."

He reached up to brush a lock of hair out of her eyes, smiling. "As did I."

"Can I..." She watched his movements, her voice softening. "Can I come with you? So we can have more of this?"

"If that's what you really want..." He exhaled, knowing it was useless to argue with her - but this time, he didn't want to. "I am sure we can find a way."

"Really?"

"Really."

She giggled, delighted, and with that she bent over him again, kissing him hard enough to take his breath away. "I _really_ like that," she mused when they parted, and then began to laugh again. This time he joined in right away, happily, wrapping his arms around her back and hugging her tight. He hadn't expected her confession or their first kiss to take place on her bedroom floor, but he wasn't going to argue with that - because what mattered was that it had happened at all.

* * *

"You're leaving?"

"Yep." The smile that Pascal gave her older sister was a sweet one; standing by her side, Hubert had to attempt to disguise his own smile behind one hand, finding himself amused by the expression of utter shock on Fourier's face. An hour had passed, and after a rather frantic session of packing, the two of them had entered Fourier's room with three bags stuffed full of Pascal's possessions. "I'm gonna go to Strahta with Hu and work there for a little while," the younger woman said. "It sounds like there's a whole heck of a lot that needs to be done in Yu Liberte. And since they're short on fresh water out there in the desert, it would be the perfect place to try out my purification system."

"But..." Fourier looked from Pascal to Hubert, her eyes wide. "When... did you make this decision...?"

"Oh, just now."

"Pascal!" The older woman placed her hands on her hips. "You_ can't_ just go running off at a moment's notice like this! Have you forgotten what happened the last time you did that? You were gone for three _years_!"

"Aww, chill out, Fourier. I'll come visit." Pascal beamed at her sister, folding her arms behind her head. "And Hu's gonna leave one of my communicators with you, so if something blows up or goes ka-pow or gets all crazy and stuff, you can send me a message." She glanced up at the blue-haired man. "Right?"

Hubert nodded, stepping forward to hand the aforementioned device to a very surprised Amarcian. "Pascal will be safe with me," he said, lowering his voice somewhat - and lowering it again when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the younger sibling immediately lean forward to attempt to hear their conversation. "And she will be provided for. I would not like her to remain alone any longer."

"I see..." Fourier tapped one gloved finger to her chin, her eyes narrowing. "You really care about my sister, hmm? ... "Little Bro.""

He scoffed, drawing back, folding his arms together. "Pascal has taken it upon herself to no longer call me such a name. I would hope that you would do the same."

"Hmph! Sure." She tossed her hair. "But before too long, I'm certain I will have to call you something entirely different."

"What's that?"

She smiled devilishly. "Oh, you'll be called "Brother-in-Law," of course."

Blood rushed into his face and he turned his head abruptly away. "I wish you wouldn't make such jokes. I have said nothing about marriage. The only reason Pascal is accompanying me is because - "

"Because she is completely and utterly taken by you. Really, I'm not stupid." She rolled her eyes. "Just between you and I, she has spent the last three months talking only about you. Hu did this, and Hu did that, and when Hu comes around again... To be quite honest, I don't think she realized she was in love until I told her she was."

He sighed, allowing himself a slight smile, watching out of the corner of one eye as Pascal attempted to silently tiptoe up behind him. "If that is the truth, I owe you my gratitude. It is amazing how someone so intelligent can be so oblivious. Now..." He turned, facing the younger Amarcian, who promptly squeaked upon being caught. "Shall we be off?"

She pouted. "I don't like it when you guys talk about me..."

"It's for your own good." Fourier came forward and seized her younger sister by the face, squishing her cheeks. "Pascal," she began, in a stern tone, "I want you to promise me that you will bathe every day. If you are meeting with anyone important, don't show up dressed in dirty clothes. And if Litt - " She glanced at the blue-haired man. "... if_ Hubert_ tells you to do something, do it. As far as I am concerned, you are a ward in his care now. Got it?"

Pascal winced. "Gbrrt errt."

"Do you promise?"

"Ybrss."

"That sounded enough like a "yes" for me." Fourier released her sister, who immediately rubbed at her cheeks, wincing. "As for you, young man," she remarked, looking back to Hubert, "I only have one baby sister. If she comes crying back to me with some story about how you hurt her - "

"There will be nothing of the sort," he interrupted, calmly, watching as Pascal scurried over to cling to one of his arms, making faces at her sister. "I understand that you will worry, but if you would allow me to make my own promise..."

Fourier sighed. "Then - please, do take good care of her."

He nodded. "I give you my word."

"Are we ready? Can we go now?" Pascal tugged on his arm, excitement creeping into her tone. "There's lots of stuff I want to do in Strahta, and I can't wait to get in there and get started! The president is gonna be soooo happy when _I_ finally show up!"

"Yes, yes. I believe we can leave now." He turned, bending to retrieve two of the heavy bags that they had deposited on the floor upon entering Fourier's room. He grunted as he shouldered them, wondering for the second time that day just what she owned that was so heavy - then waited as she slung the third bag over her shoulder as if it was weightless. "Well, then," he remarked, looking over to Fourier, "we will see you again soon."

She smiled, looking down at the communicator in her hand for a moment. "Remember your promises," she said after a pause, her voice soft. "Both of you."

"We will," they chorused, obediently.

"And stay out of trouble."

Pascal grinned. "Now that's something I definitely can't promise..."

"I'll do my best on that one for your sake," Hubert remarked, reaching up to lightly pat her on the shoulder. As they turned away, moving in the direction of the door, he stopped, turning back to give Fourier a short bow. She nodded at him, once, and as he began to turn away he saw tears begin to well up in her golden eyes. He smiled to himself, making the decision not to say anything to Pascal, knowing full well how furious Fourier would be if her little sister happened to see her crying. "We will see you again soon," he remarked as the door swung open. "Take care."

Pascal's voice was cheerful as she bounded into the outdoors. "Bye, sis!"

"Goodbye!" Fourier called, her voice still mostly stable. It wasn't until Hubert reached behind him to shut the door that she gave her final remark: "And do remember to invite me to the wedding!"

Pascal blinked, looking back over her shoulder. "Eh? Wedding...?"

"I urge you not think about that remark any more than you already have." The door closed and Hubert sighed, shaking his head. The two of them stepped away from the door and walked a short distance before stopping again, almost in the same instant, side-by-side. They stood together for a moment, quietly, and it was Hubert who finally spoke again, his words soft. "Pascal. Are you sure that you want to do this?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing." She looked up at him, curious, tilting her head to one side. "Are you sure that you want to put up with me, Hu? And you said that you had no idea where I would stay... What if we get there and I'm not wanted?"

"We will find a way." He nodded once, resolutely. "No matter what happens. As long as I am by your side, nothing else matters." He smiled. "Right?"

She appeared surprised, but a smile rapidly overtook the expression of shock, painting her face with delight. "Right," she responded, and reached up to hook one of her arms through his. "C'mon, Hu," she said happily, tugging on his arm, "we've got a_ lot_ to do, so let's get going!"

"As you wish," he responded, and with that they set off, arm-in-arm, in the direction of the snowy mountains and the start of their new lives together.


End file.
